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“I use ‘disruptive’ in both its good and bad connotations. Disruptive scientific and technological progress is not to me inherently good or inherently evil. But its arc is for us to shape. Technology’s progress is furthermore in my judgment unstoppable. But it is quite incorrect that it unfolds inexorably according to its own internal logic and the laws of nature.”

Five causes of collapse appear paramount: major episodes of climate change, crises-induced mass migrations, pandemics, dramatic advances in methods of warfare and transport, and human failings in crises including societal lack of resilience and the madness, incompetence, cultic focus, or ignorance of rulers.

Liberal democracy and capitalism have been the two commanding political and economic ideas of Western history since the 19th century. Now, however, the fate of these once-galvanizing global principles is increasingly uncertain.

In her new book, Not for the Faint of Heart, Ambassador Sherman takes readers inside the world of international diplomacy and into the mind of one of our most effective negotiators―often the only woman in the room. She discusses the core values that have shaped her approach to work and leadership: authenticity, effective use of power and persistence, acceptance of change, and commitment to the team. She shows why good work in her field is so hard to do, and how we can learn to apply core skills of diplomacy to the challenges in our own lives.

In this Summer 2018 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter, we are pleased to highlight the Center’s newest initiative – The Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship. Led by Nicholas Burns, Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook, and Karl Kaiser, the project will expand the Kennedy School’s teaching and research on Europe and a long-time relationship that continues to be vital to the United States. Also in this newsletter, we describe the Center's expanding efforts to help state and local election officials defend their elections and the electoral process against cyber and information attacks. Among the other Center activities featured in this issue: the Iran Project's first annual Symposium on Islam and Sectarian De-escalation; the possible impact of Korean talks; and a focus on ensuring responsible use of artificial intelligence – and much more.

At a time of questions about Europe’s unity, security, and prosperity—and about the commitment of the United States to its relationship with NATO and the European Union—the Belfer Center has launched a new Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship to reinvigorate a continental bond that has anchored global order, provided peace and stability, and fueled economic expansion for seven decades.

At many research centers, the mission is found only on an “About Us” page. In our case, the mission is embedded right in our name: the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. The and there is critical. It reflects not a divided research portfolio but rather a singular convergence of the two realms that have the most power to shape humanity’s course—for better or worse—this century.

The Cyber Security Project closed out the 2017-18 academic year with a robust group of speakers from government and the private sector to shed light on some of the most significant cybersecurity and public policy questions confronting policymakers and business leaders today.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape not only the interface between people and machines but also fundamental questions of privacy and equality in all areas of society—from finance and healthcare to retail and manufacturing. To ensure that ethical and policy issues keep pace with AI and machine learning and that this game-changing technology serves people—not the other way around—the Belfer Center is creating The Council on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence.

More than 120 state and local election officials from 38 states gathered in Cambridge in March to participate in role-playing exercises that provided them with tips, tools, and training to fortify their election systems against cyber attacks and information operations.

Ingenuity was on full display in March as students from Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, and other leading universities pitched ideas to prevent or reduce malicious cyber attacks. Their proposals were part of Defending Digital Democracy’s first Information Operations Technical and Policy Hackathon and the culmination of a D3P conference dedicated to fortifying election security.

Following the adoption of the Panmunjom Declaration by South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in April, in which they announced their interest in ending the Korean War and ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, the Belfer Center’s John Park spoke to the Harvard Gazette about the potential impact of their announcement. Park, Director of the Center’s Korea Working Group, discussed what’s driving the Panmunjom talks, the likely outcome of a possible accord, and what both sides will have to overcome to deliver lasting results. Following are excerpts from the interview.